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A review by dtasevski
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
5.0
I've read a few books by Ian McDonald so far, and each one amazed me. this book is no exception.
It took me a quite longer than usual to read a book this size, the culprit being the bare complexity of the atmosphere in the futuristic Istambul and so many details everywhere. That said, this is not a book for those who want a quick or light read. The writing is very readable but dense, with an almost metronomic precision that must be followed carefully to be understood. I'm even thinking about re-reading it again in the near future, just to see what I've missed :)
Set in Istanbul in the near future, The Dervish House centers on a number of people who live or work in a dervish house, somewhere in Istambul. The various threads of the narrative include a search for an archeological legend - a Mellified Man, a financial scam, a terrorist plot and attempts to find funding to develop new technology. In addition, there's an isolated young boy, Can, who with the aid of his toy robots, turns detective. The plot also touches on Turkey's recent political history and its history of race relations.
Apart from Can's adventures, what I enjoyed most about this work is the depiction of Istanbul. The descriptions of the city are more interesting than most of the characters and much of the plot. I'm glad I read the novel, if for no other reason than it's reinforced my desire to travel to Turkey some time soon.
It took me a quite longer than usual to read a book this size, the culprit being the bare complexity of the atmosphere in the futuristic Istambul and so many details everywhere. That said, this is not a book for those who want a quick or light read. The writing is very readable but dense, with an almost metronomic precision that must be followed carefully to be understood. I'm even thinking about re-reading it again in the near future, just to see what I've missed :)
Set in Istanbul in the near future, The Dervish House centers on a number of people who live or work in a dervish house, somewhere in Istambul. The various threads of the narrative include a search for an archeological legend - a Mellified Man, a financial scam, a terrorist plot and attempts to find funding to develop new technology. In addition, there's an isolated young boy, Can, who with the aid of his toy robots, turns detective. The plot also touches on Turkey's recent political history and its history of race relations.
Apart from Can's adventures, what I enjoyed most about this work is the depiction of Istanbul. The descriptions of the city are more interesting than most of the characters and much of the plot. I'm glad I read the novel, if for no other reason than it's reinforced my desire to travel to Turkey some time soon.